Nilgiris

The mountains were calling and I had to go. 

The dark shadows of the last two years were fading out. Life was coming back to normal, a new normal. Looking at the scale of the impact of the pandemic on everyone around, the feeling of being privileged and the sense of gratitude to the God Almighty was synching in -- of course for the overall well being of the near and dear ones during the pandemic.    

And that's when I heard the calling ... 

The mountains were calling and I had to go. 

 I like the mountains because they take me closer to the mother nature, the fresh air, the water streams, the gentle wind, the birds, the wild flowers, everything out there makes me feel small, helps me sort out what's important in life, not to forget they also help me escape the scorching heat here in Pune during the summer. 

This time it was the Nilgiri mountains, the range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. 

Nilgiri mountains have a special place in my heart, having been there twice earlier in two different stages of life. First time as a kid with my parents and brother. Ooty was a virgin place that time. For me everything was new, everything was fun that time, and the family was everything. 

The second time was during the college days, as part of a study tour. This was the time of rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth. And being one of the organizers of the study tour, this was the time to be responsible. Lot of conflicting needs indeed. Everything was new, everything was fun that time, and the friends were the family. And Ooty had started becoming commercial, Coonoor was the virgin place. 

This time I was going to see what has changed in the Nilgiri's and more importantly within.

Airlines were eager to fly us, hotels and airbnb were waiting to host us, the birds were calling, the unused vacations lying in the HR systems were waiting for the leave applications, even the house maids were waiting for our vacation (I mean that's when they get some free time) -- net net as Paulo Coelho says -- or for that matter Shahrukh Khan, whoever you follow :-) says — 'And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.' 

Talk about Ooty and everybody knows about it, an overhyped, overcrowded destination. Talk about Coonoor, and suddenly you are in the upper echelons of the society, with all the tea estates and the happening cafes around. And then talk about Kotagiri, and people start listening with interest, then talk about Konakarai, the village with millions of trees and a population of 426 humans. Places interest us in that order from crowded (worst) to secluded (best). The fewer the people around, the better it becomes in the hills. And the idea was to spend most of the time in the valleys around .. the unheard of places ... Konakarai, Ketty, and Kollacumby.  Unknown, virgin places deep nestled in the valleys of the Nilgiri mountains, closer to the mother nature, with the fresh air, the water streams, the gentle wind, the birds, the wild flowers, and the solitude that the soul was begging for. 

Thinking of birds, animals, and flowers, we experienced the most unique ones, in most unique places.

That included the hoopoes, the colorful bird found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the national bird of Israel, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers.

And the squirrel.

And the flowers!

And we stayed at places deep in the mountains, secluded from the maddening crowds of Ooty to experience the life that comes with a view like this.

 

What follows is the visual summary of our experiences and the reflections. Do enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Of course, if you want to experience some of these in-person, please find the details in  the blog. Happy reading !   

Thanks to the IndiGO Airlines, followed by the Cab service, we were in Mysore within 9 hours of starting from Pune via Banglore. Stay at Mysore was primarily to have some rest before venturing into the hills, essentially skipping most of the busy tourist destinations. The cab driver later told me that we were the only tourist in his entire career of 15+ years that did not visit the Brindavan Gardens, or the Zoo (the popular destination in Mysore). 

Manmade things attract us less, interesting humans attract us more, nature attracts us the most.  Our travel was not to take snapshots of ourselves in front of famous monuments, surrounded by other tourists, not to earn frequent-flier miles, but to glimpse what life is like somewhere else. And so the journey continued from Mysore towards the Ketti valley into the Nilgiris. 

The journey towards Ketti valley doesn't begin unless you visit the Needle View Hillpoint. It's hidden away from public view and not frequented too much by tourists. Located on the Ooty-Mysore route in a place called Gudalur, it was awaiting us, the lone trekkers, with a mesmerizing view beyond imagination. Needle view hill point or Soochimalai is a place where one can literally "reach for the clouds". The peak and the clouds are at par and one can see the vast stretches of forests, from a distance. 

Having completed the easy hike in the hills, we continued our journey. A hidden gem nestled on the Ooty-Coonoor road is the Ketti Valley. It offers astounding views of the blue mountain hills and the surrounding region. That was to be our first destination. 

While the road was awesome, I mean secluded, and with dense forests around, the driver wasn't convinced that we were headed towards a place that tourists would want to visit. 

But he was proved wrong. Amidst the tea plantation, this picturesque and oh-so-Insta-worthy property’s cobbled path welcomed us. Tastefully furnished and decorated, the Blue Ridge cottage offered mesmerizing views of the tea estate.  

While the stay at the Blue Ridge cottage was mesmerizing, there were good reasons to come out of the cottage and experience the beauty of the mountains. 

It's been our practice to do a morning walk around the place wherever we go. And those early morning walks have been the best source of experiencing the culture (the people side) of the places.  A walk across the road took us to a very low profile, simple, clean temple. The local people were flocking towards the temple. Just out of curiosity I asked a lady whether we can visit the temple. And immediately realized that there's a language barrier. 

I guess smile is a universal language followed by gestures. If you haven't experience it yet, my dear readers, think twice, have you really travelled? The essence of a great travel is to meet atleast one person who doesn't understand anything that you are saying and still opens up an experience (in this case it was the experience of devotion towards god and acceptance of strangers on face value).  

Coming back, the lady and the entire group was so welcoming, they not just accepted us on the face value but also made us feel part of the group. The prayers, the rituals, the cleanliness of the place, the smell of fresh flowers, and the group of the pious villagers -- everything was the recipe for the GOD's presence. I mean GOD is everywhere, it's for you to experience it, and everything around ensured that the GOD was there. 

Neither words not photographs can make you feel the experience. It was unique, it was natural, it was out of the world. And it will remain with us for a long time. 

Note: while most of the places that we visited and the experiences we had are available to everyone, just need to search on google, this was rather unique. In fact this temple doesn't show up on google map. It's that unique, and precious I would say!    

Best things in life are not things, are free, they enrich you and in many cases are short lived. The prayers were no exception. We had scrumptious suji ka halwa (semolina pudding) as the prasada (for the uninitiated, the food offered to God is called naivedya, while the same food sanctified and returned by God as a blessing is called prasada).

After going through the divine experience, it was the time to experience something worldly, the Ooty flower show, the annual event that is held in the Botanical Garden of Ooty every year. This annual show, often referred to as ‘the showstopper of the South’, has been running since the past 123 years. The main objective of this show is to exhibit the flora in Ooty. The photos, in this case as well, don't do justice to the beauty of the place. But still ...

 

The next day we had another amazing experience in Ooty -- Amble with Anne. 

Anne is a nature enthusiast, and runs a very different type of (for the lack of better words) business. She would take you on a walking tour around Ooty, escaping the hustle of Ooty and exploring the countryside, through lush tea estates and rural farmscapes. Acquainting you with the ways of the mist and the mountains and if you are lucky, you might even be blessed with clear views.

Anne took us through the breathtaking landscapes, through the history of Ooty, and through the botany of Ooty.

We will always remember the tricks she played with us, the unique places that she showed us, the food that she offered us and the Malabar squirrel that we were able to watch.

Life is all about experiences.

Someone once said, In the end, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Anne made us feel the essence of Ooty AND the essence of what it means to follow ones passion (walking) and live a good life. 

I will recommend this experience to everyone visiting Ooty or the Nilgiris. Check out these photos and decide for yourself.

We were in the mountains and each day was offering us a very different experience. Now it was the turn of the Konakarai village. Konakarai, the village with millions of trees and a population of 426 humans. 

Taurus home stay is a unique property in the huge tea estate near Konakarai. Wild animals like Bisons (Indian gaur), Leapord, sloth bear, barking deer, mouse deer, porcupine, wild boar love this place and they keep on visiting this place every now and then, luckily in the night. It's a perfect place for bird watching and photography. Reaching this place is an experience in itself, staying here is far more enriching one, and walk across the forest is the icing on the cake. The owner of the estate, Rajin, was very friendly and took us for a long morning walk through the tea estate and the nearby forest. The views were very different than the ones we had seen earlier and again those photographs that don't do justice to the place ... there they go. 

 

Our next stay was at a place 'At Wood' in Coonoor, a tranquil abode to unwind and be with nature and away from the cacophony and bustle of city life. The ambience was absolutely delightful with the sounds of a running stream and bird chatter waking you up every morning. 

What we will remember about this place, however, was the morning walk around the place. 

As I said earlier, it's been our practice to do a morning walk around the place wherever we go. And those early morning walks have been the best source of experiencing the nature. The smell of the Champak flowers in this case. As you would already know, the Champak flowers smell awesome by any standards. If you have just one flower around you, the smell is intense and pleasing. What if you have hundreds of them around you? 

Just imagine, and again this is an experience that can't be explained, neither words not photographs can make you feel the experience. The smell of the hundreds of Champak flowers hanging onto the Champak trees around was unique, it was natural, it was out of the world. And it will remain with us for a long time.  

Why on earth should there be a need for time. Can't things stay as they are for ever? An obvious question that strikes you when you experience something like this. I guess that's the litmus test. Anything that makes me think that way is the THING, the EXPERIENCE that I am looking at eagerly during my journeys. And Nilgiri's had offered me more than what I had expected.

The journey continued ...     

Every day was new, was different, and was bringing the kind of joy that comes from within. Having experienced the various facets of the mother nature, Sim's park was the next destination that brought us yet another surprise, the flowers, again!

Our last destination in the hills was Oland plantation. A place that truly belongs to the adventurous people at heart. Oland plantation is located on a lush 120 acres of organic tea, coffee, fruit and spice plantation, deep inside the forest. If you are looking for nature and wildlife experience, this is a place you shouldn't miss. The scenic view of the waterfall from the ceiling length glass window of the room is mesmerizing, and if you are looking for wild life views at night be ready to stay awake. An elephant walked across the place in the night during our stay. 

As always, we took a long morning walk around the place. The caretaker of the place was kind enough to accompany us and show the water streams, the plantation and the flora and fauna.

When the walk was over the feeling of going back to the plains started sinking in. We were still going to be travelling for two days to reach back Pune. Were going to see some unique things in Mysore and Banglore on the way back, but the affair with the mountain, the Nilgiri mountain was going to be over soon. 

There is something humbling about mountains. Maybe it’s their tall and grandiose appearance or the initial intimidation when you cast your eyes on it. But ultimately, the most humbling part is the sense of accomplishment that you get after climbing and walking through them. The feeling of connect with the nature, appreciation for the journey, and the chance to be outdoors ... that sums it all.  

I truly believe in the old saying, “Nature isn’t a place to visit. It is home.”.

As we get detached from the nature, our true home, we miss out on a lot of important life lessons. Here are some of the lessons I learnt this time ...

1. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished

2. Everything has a purpose

3. The best things truly are free

4. Everything is temporary, including our existence on this planet. Make the most of the limited time we have here on earth!

Oh and what about the change? I mean this time I was going to see what has changed in the Nilgiri's and more importantly within.

I guess, the faces do change, the inner core doesn't. Be it the Nilgiris or the self. It's all driven by the nature that governs us all. Everything is new, everything is fun, and everything is the family.  

As the age old Sanskrit saying goes

अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्।
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥

Translated in English it means: This is mine, that is his, say the small minded, The wise believe that the entire world is a family.

Thanks for reading till the end, that is if you are still here with me. It's been a journey le plus remarquable (most remarkable journey in french!). Hope you enjoyed. Do let me know what you think, do travel, be nature friendly, and see you here on the blog at some later point in time!